International Experience and the Performance of Scandinavian Firms in China

Western firms locating in China face a business environment that differs from their home country environment. The differences increase uncertainties and are negative for economic performance. However, firms may differ in their ability to overcome the difficulties, depending on their previous experience. In particular, firms with experience from regions similar to China might do comparably well. We conduct a survey of Scandinavian firms with subsidiaries in China to examine their economic performance. Our results show that subsidiaries in China perform better if the firms have subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Singapore. In addition, the length of subsidiaries’ operation in China, and the experience from foreign countries outside of Greater China, are also positively affecting the subsidiaries’ economic performance.